The Second Firstborn
by Nate Grey
Summary: Naruto names his first son after Menma. Which wouldn't be a problem, except that the boy seems to know and be capable of things that only the original Menma should. Including destroying everything around him, starting with his own family.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: The most disappointing part of Road to Ninja to me was that the Genjutsu World was just that: genjutsu. I was raised on fandoms where characters were sent to _actual_ alternate dimensions. Because then the things they did there generally had lasting consequences that spilled over after the return to the home world, in the form of people unexpectedly crossing over later on: ex-lovers, sired children, reborn bad guys, etc. Which technically can't happen with the Genjutsu World, since all the inhabitants and the world itself were fake. But then, Itachi faked being a traitor, Nagato faked being six people and the leader of Akatsuki at the same time, Obito faked being Tobi being Madara, and there are even jutsu that can make death itself fake. So excuse me if I have doubts about anything in Naruto being genuinely fake anymore.

Summary: Naruto names his first son after Menma. Which wouldn't be a problem, except that the boy seems to know and be capable of things that only the original Menma should. Including destroying everything around him, starting with his own family.

* * *

**The Second Firstborn**

**A Naruto Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 1: Grave Reflections**

* * *

"Somehow, I knew you'd be here."

The boy slowly looked over his shoulder at the woman, making a half-hearted effort to push his shaggy, black hair out of his golden eyes. "That's why I didn't inform Iruka-sensei. I knew you would find me, Hinata-san."

Hyūga Hinata sighed deeply as she stepped forward to join the boy in front the pristine grave marker. She lowered her head and offered a silent prayer, then gave the boy a few more moments of peace before she reached over and gently placed her hand on his head. "You shouldn't just disappear like that, even if you know I can find you. Your father was very worried when you didn't show up after graduation. He has bad memories about his own, you know that."

"I wanted to show her," the boy responded simply. Then he smirked. "Tell me the truth, Hinata-san. Would he have missed me at all if you hadn't noticed first?"

Hinata frowned. "That isn't fair. You know your father loves you very much."

The boy shrugged. "He broke his promise. He swore his love for the village would never be greater than his love for family. He promised me that he wouldn't become his father. But in some ways, we might all be better off if I was an orphan."

"You don't mean that," Hinata whispered. "I know you don't, Menma-kun."

Uzumaki Menma did not reply, his gaze trained on the grave marker in front of him. He reached out to gently trace the three symbols carved into it: the whirlpool of the Uzumaki clan, the leaf of Konoha, and the cloud of Akatsuki.

Hinata's eyes were drawn to the thick, black bracers on Menma's arms, and after a moment's pause, she activated her Byakugan and stared at them. If Menma noticed, he showed no sign until Hinata spoke again. "Your chakra is starting to overwhelm the suppression seals again," she noted. "I can add some new ones tonight."

"Of course," he murmured. "I'm an Uzumaki. That's all we do: overwhelm. Even ourselves."

Hinata winced. "I really think we should go now, Menma-kun. Your father will be sending out ANBU to look for you soon, if he hasn't already."

Sighing, Menma slowly got to his feet. "Can you give me one more minute alone, Hinata-san? I'm sure I won't be allowed to go out for a while after this."

"I'll be right outside," Hinata promised.

After she had gone, Menma turned away from the grave marker, only to find another woman standing beside him.

"You can't keep doing this," she warned him.

Menma shook his head, completely unconcerned. "I can, actually. I have all the necessary materials."

"You shouldn't keep doing this," she corrected. "Someone will find out... eventually."

"I doubt it. The one person who should know, doesn't. And there are only so many experts in space-time ninjutsu. All that aside, no one truly knows what my chakra is capable of, how potent it can be. Sometimes I even amaze myself."

At a loss, she tried the only tactic left to her. "Please stop this, Menma. As a favor to me."

His eyes narrowed, and his hands balled tightly into fists. "No," he said softly. "You gave me life. You _died_ to give me life."

She smiled sadly. "And I would again. But what you've given me... it isn't life."

"It's enough for me," Menma stated. "Every day I can see you before me is one more day I can convince myself that I exist for a good reason."

"This isn't why you were born."

"I was born to love you, and I'll _never_ stop!" he shouted. Menma took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I don't understand you. I was cursed with this dark chakra, and it only ever brought me pain and misery. I finally find a way to do something good with it, and you tell me not to."

She shook her head. "I didn't ask to be resurrected from the dead, and then hidden away in a rip in the universe that only you can see. I certainly didn't ask you to kill someone again to maintain this stolen half-life."

He stared up at her with a sad smile. "No. You only asked me to let you die, and I did that. I tried to live without you, and you know what I realized? I didn't ask for this, either. But you decided to give me life, didn't you? I had no say in it. If you can be selfish out of love, then so can I. I've earned that much."

"Your father will never forgive you. You promised him that it was only the one time."

"Then I would say that makes us even for promises broken." Menma took her hand and gently kissed it, holding it against his cheek. "My dream is to not be alone. He can give Hokage to someone else."

"That's not-" she began to say, but was interrupted.

"I was late," said a new voice. "I have no excuse."

Menma blinked and turned to see his father standing several feet away. Sighing, the boy turned away again. "You're the Hokage. I know you're busy."

"I wanted to be there today. I know how important it was for you."

Menma bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, the coppery taste filling him with a sense of familiarity, if not comfort. "You sent Hinata-san after me. That was enough. She's... going to be my mother, soon."

"Stepmother," his father said, almost harshly. "No one will ever replace your mother with us. You know that."

"You don't have to keep saying that."

"I don't expect you to forget her. I never will. All we're doing is surviving, Menma. It's not the same as forgetting. It's just moving on past the worst of the pain."

"Yeah," Menma agreed, forcing himself to smile as he faced his father again. "I just wanted to show her that I graduated. I shouldn't have run off without telling anyone."

"You told her," his father replied with an easy shrug and an easier smile. "That counts. That will always count."

The instant acceptance caused guilt to rise up in Menma's heart, which gave way to something far worse. Agony erupted in his belly, and his legs lost their strength as he began to collapse. He only managed to fall into his father's arms, despite the distance that had once been between them. "Why?" Menma gasped against the man's chest. "Why do you love me, even when I hate you?"

Uzumaki Naruto closed his eyes and buried his face in his son's hair. "I defeated the hate inside of a giant fox. You think I'm going to back down from the hate in my own son?" He laughed softly and kissed the top of Menma's head. "It's okay. You can let it out. I heal fast."

With a choked sob, Menma threw back his head and opened his mouth, his hatred of nearly everything in his life manifesting in the form of a large, violently swirling black sphere.

At once, Naruto began to compress the mass of power through sheer willpower, and once it was small enough, he shoved it into his mouth and forced himself to swallow. His blue eyes briefly flashed black, and he clung to his son desperately as tears spilled out of his eyes. "Wow," he groaned. "That was a rough one."

Menma reached up with a trembling hand to catch the blood that had slowly begun leaking from his father's mouth. "I'm destined to kill you both, aren't I?" he whispered.

"Nah. I'm too stubborn to die," Naruto replied quickly, grinning at him. "Still mad at me?"

Menma shook his head, and didn't resist when Naruto picked him up and rocked him gently, as if he were a much younger child. The boy was asleep in seconds.

"We'll be okay, buddy," Naruto sighed. "Somehow. I promise."

Unable to watch any longer, the woman turned away. Though she was not truly alive anymore, there was a definite ache where her heart had once been, a true testament to Menma's genius.

Shifting Menma to a more comfortable position, Naruto stepped toward the grave marker. "I still don't know if it's right. But it was your last wish, and I'm going to honor it. I'll... come visit you after the wedding. I'm still trying to talk Hinata out of coming with me, but we'll see."

"Let her come, Naruto," the woman sighed. "She's only doing exactly what I asked her to: being the wife and mother I couldn't."

Naruto didn't hear her, of course, and kept talking. "It's getting worse, you know. They don't talk about executing him anymore, either because they don't think he can actually die, or they're afraid of what I'd do. Now it's all exile or prison. As if he'd be less dangerous without me around to protect them from all of his hate. I wonder if this is how it would have been, had my father lived. As it is, Konohamaru's the only one I know for sure wouldn't turn on us. And sometimes I think that's only because he's too blindly loyal to realize that he's guaranteed my spot either way." He sighed and stared into the sky. "I'm starting to realize how truly stressful your job was. Shikamaru actually took maternity leave so he could stay home with Temari and avoid more paperwork. Hasn't done that since their first kid."

The woman smiled faintly at the thought of Shikamaru's five girls, all born with their mother's hair. Shikamaru couldn't go anywhere in the village without someone teasing him about his genes being too lazy to be dominant.

"Tsunade still won't look me in the eye," Naruto murmured. "Menma's never even met her. I shudder to think what she might say to him."

"Nothing he hasn't told himself a hundred times already," the woman whispered.

"Sakura will at least glare at him. And me, of course. Menma didn't know her before, so it never even occurred to him that she used to be nice sometimes. But I guess he feels that way about several people who used to be our friends."

"You're going be late, Naruto," she murmured, shuffling closer and hesitantly brushing her fingertips over his hand. She could not actually touch him, nor could she feel or see anything that indicated the gesture had the intended impact, at first.

But after a long moment, Naruto blinked slowly, frowning. "Oh, right. I've got that council meeting today." He glanced down at Menma and sighed. "Sorry, buddy. Hinata will take you home, and we'll celebrate tonight." Although the grave marker was already spotless, Naruto created a small gust of wind to blow away any dust that might have settled since his last visit. Had he been thinking about it, he would have realized that Menma performed far more thorough cleanings on a daily basis. Without warning, Naruto sank down in front of the grave, letting his forehead fall against the cool stone. He stayed that way for several minutes, then abruptly rose and carried Menma out of the cemetery. By the time he reached the gate and handed Menma to Hinata, the other woman was gone, and any sign of her presence, though virtually undetectable to begin with, was gone as quickly as the brief wind Naruto had summoned.

* * *

The white tiger lifted its head from the bed moments before the door opened, admitting Hinata and the still sleeping Menma she carried in her arms. Without hesitation, she carefully placed the boy beside the tiger, covering him with a small blanket and tenderly brushing the hair out of his face, though it stubbornly resisted her efforts, as always. Hinata sighed and eventually gave up, finally turning her attention to the tiger, who had watched her in attentive yet unobtrusive silence. "Please watch over him, Kit. It's been a rough day."

The tiger dipped its head once in acknowledgement, then settled down beside Menma, positioned between the boy and any intruder who might enter through the door or window.

Hinata gave the tiger's head a quick stroke of appreciation, then quietly slipped out of the room.

* * *

Naruto had always hated council meetings. It seemed as if the majority of the members were against him, which wouldn't have surprised him, had they been the same ones that just thought of him as the demon brat. Instead, the council was now largely people he'd known most of his life, had actually fought alongside, and considered friends. And despite their differences in opinion, many of them still considered him a trusted comrade.

But Menma was the demon brat now, and he was a lot more dangerous and unstable than Naruto had ever been. The irony was that there was no need for Naruto's generation to warn their children to stay away from Menma: the kids had either figured it out for themselves, or had been warned away by Menma personally. He'd gone out of his way to avoid having any friends that he might accidentally hurt. About the only ones who would come near him at all were the Nara girls, mostly because Temari had refused to let her daughters grow up as victims of the same ignorance that had kept her from being closer to Gaara when they were younger, which she still regretted.

The truly sad part was that most people didn't actually have anything against Menma personally. They simply feared his enormous power, which admittedly had gotten out of control several times, and Naruto could not really blame them. Short of actually imprisoning his son and placing restriction seals over every inch of his body, he'd done everything in his power to keep Menma and everyone else safe. It was no secret that much of Menma's power was tied to negative emotions: when he got upset, he was much stronger, and when he was happy, he was far less of a threat. But Menma was rarely ever happy, and so he rarely ever stopped being a threat to those around him.

So it was no surprise that council meetings were essentially just everyone else in the room pleading with Naruto to do something about his son. They had learned the hard way that trying to bully him into decisions didn't work: the last person to try that was still on border patrol with no hope of returning anytime soon. Anyway, Naruto feeling pressured inevitably lead to Menma feeling stressed, which defeated the purpose of trying to keep him under control entirely. For that reason, Naruto's approaching marriage to Hinata was a godsend to them all.

Surprisingly, while Menma did not actually seem to like Hinata, he accepted her with a great deal more tolerance than he offered anyone else. No one had expected this, given how devoted Menma was to his late mother, but then Hinata insisted on giving the woman's memory far more respect than was considered normal or healthy, for Menma's sake as much as Naruto's. Hinata was also among the few people whose feelings for Naruto had been fairly consistent over the years: she had been in love with him since they were children, and even if Menma did not like that, he definitely respected it. Furthermore, since the village's top two medic-nin were no longer on speaking terms with Naruto, Hinata was essentially the only one who ever treated Menma, even if she was not quite in the same class as Tsunade and Sakura. Thankfully, Menma seemed to heal just as rapidly as his father, so only so much medical treatment was even required. And if push came to shove, Sakura could very reluctantly be persuaded to examine Menma, so long as failing to do so would mean possibly endangering someone else.

Naruto had always known exactly why Tsunade was angry with him: ultimately, it had been his decision to have Menma. His late wife had eventually agreed, but Naruto had always been the driving force behind the idea. Perhaps he hadn't been aware of all of the risks, but he'd been willing to accept the ones he had known about. And she had accepted the ones that only she'd known about. The end result was that the child had unintentionally killed his mother. That's how Tsunade saw it, anyway, and there was a damning amount of evidence on her side. That, Naruto could understand.

Sakura had been the real surprise, however. Despite the fact that it had been years since they'd last dated, and that Naruto had been fairly certain that she no longer had any interest in him that way, she seemed to take the death of Menma's mother fairly personally. Naruto had known that they often worked together, but had never thought of them as being especially close. Especially since Sakura had never really approved of the relationship to begin with. Yet she still felt compelled to be angry at Naruto and Menma for unknown reasons. Naruto had tried to talk to her, but ceased all attempts when she flat out said that Menma never should have been born. Possibly the real reason that Naruto took it so badly was because Tsunade had said much the same thing, and a small part of him feared they might both be right.

But there was no going back. Naruto had made his choice, his wife was dead as a result, and he would do anything to protect the little bit of her he had left in the form of Menma. Even if it was starting to look like he might have to resign as Hokage to do so, Naruto knew he would in a heartbeat. It would be much more difficult to remain in the village then, but Naruto figured that if he did ever resign, the smartest thing would be to leave the village that same day. Menma only enjoyed as much freedom as he did because Naruto was Hokage, and without that, they were both sitting ducks. Naruto had already purchased a house in Suna for the occasion, though in Gaara's name so that there would be no questions asked.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Naruto returned home. Hinata took one look at his face and pressed a hot cup of tea into his hands. Naruto stared at the cup, put it aside, and drew Hinata into his arms, burying his face in her neck and inhaling her familiar scent. Though startled, Hinata quickly returned the embrace.

"I almost punched Shino in the face today," he confessed out of the blue.

Hinata stiffened slightly. "Why?"

"He suggested that if Menma were subjected to the ritual that bonds the Aburame to their bugs, his chakra might be more easily controlled. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, and that it was perfectly logical to him. And it's probably the only way the bugs could even attempt to consume his chakra without spontaneously combusting. But I still wanted to deck him for even suggesting it. I'm an idiot, right?"

"No," Hinata murmured, petting his hair in an attempt to soothe him. "Protecting your son is your job, whether you're the Hokage or not. Anyway, I feel quite certain that his mother wouldn't have done it, and I can't imagine Menma would be happy about this idea, either."

"Would you do it? If he was your son?"

Hinata's voice lost a bit of its warmth. "Naruto, if Menma were my son, bugs would be the least of his worries. Or have you forgotten how we got engaged?"

"How could I forget? I basically told your father that he could either be the father-in-law of the next Hokage, or he could be the idiot who passed up the chance to be the father-in-law of the next Hokage. And that even if the Hokage were actually controlled by someone, he still couldn't give the appearance of being controlled. Which meant his wife couldn't be a Branch House member, and neither could anyone in her immediate family."

"You forgot the part where you called the rest of the clan council a bunch of dusty old farts."

Naruto grinned. "Nah, I just love hearing you say it more." As an afterthought, he added, "Not apologizing to Shino, though."

"Well, you didn't actually hit him?" Hinata asked.

"Nope. But I think he could tell that I really wanted to."

"Since you didn't come home covered in bugs, I think he's over it. I'll ask him later to be sure."

"Thanks." Naruto released her and tried the tea. "Menma still up?"

"No. He's been asleep since we got back from the cemetery."

Naruto winced. "You don't think he's faking, so I wouldn't get to celebrate with him?"

"Do I think your son faked vomiting up a mass of hatred so that he'd be too exhausted to celebrate with you? No, Naruto, and if he did, he'd be more diabolical than any enemy you ever faced."

He rolled his eyes. "I meant, do you think he's pretending to be asleep still?"

"If he was, would there be any point to dragging him out of bed, if he obviously didn't want to get up that badly?"

"...you're protecting him from me, aren't you?"

Hinata sighed. "Only from your rather exhausting brand of love, apparently."

Naruto pouted at her. "You do realize that once we're married, you'll only be benefiting from that, yes?"

She smiled at him. "Of course I do. But we aren't married yet. And even once we are, if Menma wants to hide behind me, how could I say no? Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"That he's depending on you, yes. That you're both teaming up against me, no. Where's my teammate, huh?"

Hinata blushed, and before she could stop herself, began poking her fingers together, an old habit from childhood she had mostly put behind her. "That's... I mean, we can discuss expanding the teams _after_ we're married," she replied firmly.

"Hopefully more than discuss," Naruto added cheekily, grinning when she swatted his arm.

* * *

Upstairs, Menma ceased the extra chakra flow to his ears, having heard enough. "They truly love each other."

"Was that ever really in question?" Kit asked, waving her tail lazily. "Your father may be an idiot, but he would not burden you with this woman if she wasn't at least satisfactory. And she seems to be much more than that."

"She is. And that's what bothers me most." Menma shut his eyes tightly. "I don't ever remember him being this happy before."

"Why would he have been? He was watching your mother die slowly, and unable to prevent it. You can only fake so much happiness in a situation like that. You certainly weren't happy then, either."

"It's not supposed to be _better_ without her," Menma whispered.

"You don't _want_ it to be better," Kit corrected. "But if you accept that your mother wanted what was best for you, then it makes perfect sense that the woman she selected to be your father's second wife would make things better than your mother was able to herself, though not for lack of trying. She was bedridden and terribly weak much of the time, there was only so much she could do."

"They'll have children. Children that aren't cursed like me. Then what?"

"Do you not want siblings? Suppose they could take the pressure off of you, and prove that your father is capable of having normal children. That would definitely please the village. And it would give you something new to focus on: being an older brother."

"Stepbrother," Menma murmured.

"They will make the distinction for your stepmother, but not for your father's children, so don't let them hear you say that," Kit warned.

"I won't," Menma muttered, "let them hear me."

* * *

Naruto hadn't slept properly in days. He knew exactly why.

Hinata, he could fall asleep with. The very empty bed he retired to every night, not so much.

She was so _weird_ about some things. Naruto had talked Hinata into moving in with him and Menma even before the engagement. It had not been that big a change: she had been around constantly to help with Menma, when his mother was still alive. But Hinata would not even set foot in Naruto's bedroom until their wedding night. So each night, she would go right to the guest room without a word, ignoring all of Naruto's protests. But Hinata had stopped being a guest a long time ago, even Menma had said so.

But then, Menma had also revived his dead mother on his tenth birthday, all so she could tell Naruto to marry Hinata. So maybe Menma wasn't exactly the best person to have an opinion on such things. But what bothered Naruto most about that incident was the undeniable truth.

Menma, who would never allow anyone to replace his mother, had said it was her wish for Naruto to marry Hinata. Hinata swore that Menma's mother had told her the very same thing, months before dying. Naruto had heard the same thing from his dead wife's lips. And he could recall several nights, before the end, where she had made him promise to remarry when she died, knowing that Naruto always kept his word. To do any less would do them all a dishonor.

It felt wrong. Menma wasn't happy, although he at least didn't outright hate Hinata, and seemed to prefer her to any other woman that had approached Naruto with intent to marry. Hinata was happy, but clearly worried for Menma at the same time. Naruto was worried for them both, because while they had more or less gotten along previously, he himself hadn't really factored into their dynamic in any major way. Hinata had spent most of her time either watching over Menma, or caring for his mother. Naruto had understood why she was doing it, but Hinata helping out had allowed him to focus on his duties, and so he had. But now that it was just the three of them, Hinata's feelings were more obvious to all involved, and Menma, for whatever reason, was trying his best to be okay with that.

Everyone wanted Naruto to move on, himself included. No one was asking him to forget his late wife, and he refused to. But even she had made her wishes known in every possible way, and as much as Naruto wanted to view his relationship with Hinata as a betrayal, he knew that it was anything but. The fear that had been there with the idea of Menma was entirely absent, Hinata had made no secret of the fact that she had dreamed of bearing Naruto's children. And Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't want a big family. It was what he'd wanted for years, and he could finally grasp it.

But there was still Menma to consider. Until his power was firmly under control, raising children around him would be risky. They could take precautions, of course, but ultimately their success would depend on how happy Menma was with his family. Naruto had seen that firsthand, and he knew what could happen if things went wrong. But he wanted desperately to believe that they would go right this time. He had to believe that Menma didn't want to destroy them, that Menma wanted to love and be loved in return. Because if Naruto was wrong, if another Uzumaki died under not so questionable circumstances that pointed, however indirectly, to Menma, not even the Hokage's hand could save his own son.

* * *

**Continued in Chapter 2: Plot to Remake**

Minato and Kushina are faced with life without their son. He turns to the Hokage for answers. She turns to Akatsuki.


	2. Plot to Remake

Notes: Now we start the process of how Menma got into Naruto's world, as I'm sure you're curious about that. But first, a look at the fate of the original Menma.

* * *

**The Second Firstborn**

**A Naruto Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 2: Plot to Remake**

* * *

With a sigh, Tsunade lowered her hands, allowing the glow of chakra surrounding her fingers to wink out. "Well, there's no doubt in my mind anymore." She nodded to her attendant Shizune, who quickly covered the body on the autopsy table with a sheet.

"You sound surprised," Namikaze Minato murmured from the other side of the table.

"Honestly, I am," Tsunade admitted. "I'm sure you're already aware of it, but this is one of the less complicated solutions to the current crisis. There simply wasn't enough proof in favor of your claim, and the prevailing opinion was that your son, even if he was good again, could always go bad or worse a second time. He was either looking at life imprisonment or a death sentence. I wouldn't have chosen this way out, but no one can doubt his resolve."

Minato shot her a cold look. "I don't know that I'd use that term to describe someone that could pulp his own heart with a Rasengan."

She shook her head. "Minato, you're only saying that because he was your son."

"No," Minato said, staring down at the gaping hole where his son's heart used to be. "I'd say the same about any man who did this. Resolve is what keeps you alive, Tsunade-sama. It's lack of resolve and options that allows the mind to accept this sort of death."

Tsunade sighed, realizing there was no point in arguing with him over it.

Unnerved by the extending silence, Shizune took the opportunity to join the conversation. "How's Kushina taking this, Minato-san?"

Minato dragged a hand over his face, a true sign of his exhaustion and frayed nerves. "Let's see. She moved out this morning, won't speak to me, and left a note saying she'll be the last Uzumaki in Konoha." After a pause, he added, "Oh, and she wants a divorce."

Shizune stared at him in disbelief. "She really thinks that's going to help anything?"

He shrugged. "She's convinced that the combined pressure of being both an Uzumaki and my child was the source of Menma's problems, so she doesn't want there to be any others. I don't know how accurate that is, but I think she's wrong. I'll admit Menma didn't have it easy being our son, but if he wanted to escape his fame, then becoming a major threat to the village was the last thing he should have done. Maybe I've still got parental blinders on, but I can't accept that a boy we raised couldn't talk to us when he obviously had a serious problem. Failing that, I'd like to think someone close to us would have noticed something out of the ordinary."

"Part of the problem was that unwitting body double standing in for him," Tsunade admitted. "Nobody actually knew Menma was MIA because they were still seeing someone who looked like him. I have no doubt that were it not for the clone, somebody would have noticed your son wasn't in the village."

Minato laughed bitterly. "He was an idiot when it came to people, but not with jutsu, so I doubt it would have been as simple as that. Clones are an Uzumaki specialty, and there were times he even managed to fool Kushina for a while. If he didn't want you to know he was gone, he'd have managed somehow, stand-in or no stand-in. But none of this solves the question of why Menma went bad. And I don't think that's really the question anymore."

"True," Tsunade agreed. "The question is where the stand-in came from, and where he's apparently gone back to. I don't need to tell you that as one of Konoha's specialists on space-time ninjutsu, the fact that you can't answer that really bothers me."

"It bothers me, too. I make it a point of personal pride to be aware of all my serious competition in that area. Nobody knows anything about the stand-in or where he came from. They either thought he was a more pleasant Menma, or noticed no difference at all."

"Then I hate to bring this up, but I think it's time to stop ignoring the elephant in the room. You're brilliant, Minato, but you happen to be married to the only kunoichi I know that could give you a run for your money in nearly every area you specialize in. So I at least want to pick Kushina's brain, no matter how uncomfortable it will be. If worst comes to worst, I'm one of the few people that can restrain her."

"I doubt it'll come to that," Minato responded. "It might have, if Menma were still alive, but now Kushina's given up on nearly everything, and she doesn't blame you for what happened. A little advice, though: when you want her to come in, just send Shizune to ask her. Don't make it an order. That's the worst thing you could do right now."

Tsunade nodded. "Fine. Any idea where she's staying?"

"Not with Mikoto, for sure. That's the first place I looked for her. Sasuke gives Kushina the creeps, ever since he called her a MILF to her face."

Tsunade's lips twitched into a smirk, and Shizune snorted before managing to compose herself. "And she didn't beat him bloody?" Tsunade asked, chuckling.

"No, but Mikoto overheard the conversation, and made sure he couldn't sit down for a month." Minato flashed her a pained grin. "Menma laughed himself silly over it. One of the last times I ever heard him laugh." He swallowed hard and looked away. "My son is dead. My wife hates me. And you know what I wish?"

"What's that?"

"I wish the stand-in was here. Somehow, I think he'd know what to say to make me feel better. I don't know why, but I believe that. I have to. Because as things stand, he's the only family I have left."

* * *

"I wasn't sure that you would come. But I'm glad that you accepted our invitation."

The woman said nothing for a long moment, staring at each of the gathered faces in turn. Her gaze lingered on the last. "You said that you had something important to tell me. Something that would change everything that I knew."

"Indeed. Everything we believe has been challenged by this information. No doubt it will be the same for you."

"Just spill it, Itachi-kun," she snapped. "I'm still in mourning, and I have no patience for games."

The Uchiha nodded, having never been more aware of the fact that his former babysitter was also one of the most powerful kunoichi alive, especially when she was angry. "Of course, Kushina-san. I apologize. But perhaps it would be best coming from Nagato. He made the discovery, and it was he who proposed involving you."

"So this isn't just because you want two Uzumaki in your little club?" Kushina asked suspiciously.

"That may not matter anymore," Nagato answered as he stepped forward. "Nothing we do here may matter at all."

"Start making sense or I'm leaving," Kushina demanded.

"We know where the other Menma went back to," Nagato said at once.

Kushina froze, her eyes wide. "What?" she whispered.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto, and he comes from another world, similar to but vastly different from our own. He accepted you and Minato as his parents here because you were his parents there, too. And because he grew up an orphan, this was his first and only chance to truly know you."

Kushina stared at Nagato for a long moment, possibly searching for any sign of deception in his face. "Tell me more," she said at last.

"In Naruto's world, Minato became the Yondaime Hokage, and you both died in an attempt to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox in Naruto, in order to protect the village. Naruto grew up alone, ostracized by the very people who claimed to idolize Minato. In time, Naruto managed to change their perceptions of him, but he has only friends and comrades, and no true family. The few Uzumaki descendants who remain are scattered throughout the land, and have no loyalty to each other."

"That sounds awful."

"It doesn't have to stay that way," Nagato replied quickly, eagerly. "I have found a way to manipulate events in Naruto's world. The Nagato there died, but his chakra saturates much of their world, especially Konoha, even now. I believe he was misguided, and attacked the village. Naruto defeated him, but we both know that Uzumaki chakra can take decades to completely vanish under optimal circumstances. And that Nagato, his power was truly optimal, whatever his sins."

"So you can change Naruto's world. What good would that do us?" Kushina asked.

Nagato hesitated. "Naruto remembers his adventure here. But according to him, his time here, and our entire world, in fact, was all a product of genjutsu. We aren't real. Our world is nothing more than a dream conjured up by a madman."

Kushina smirked. "You almost had me there. You think the pain I feel right now is fake?"

"No," Nagato said sharply. "That's just it. We _aren't_ fake. Not anymore. I have already created a minor change in Naruto's world. A small avatar that would not exist otherwise. The clothing that Naruto obtained from our world ceased to exist seconds after he returned home. Not _instantly_, but _seconds_ after. Something from our world managed to exist in his, for a short time. And my avatar has been in his world for a _week_ now, sustained by that Nagato's leftover chakra. By definition, the avatar is real, and therefore, so is its creator, and so is his world. We were not real before, but we are now, because our impact on Naruto's world has made it so."

"And you want to make more changes. Like what?"

"Menma was our world's answer to Naruto. In theory, the two should not exist simultaneously in any world. But they did, and Menma's life had a profound impact on Naruto's. I propose to reproduce that impact, by exposing Naruto to Menma a second time. Naruto restored Menma to you. Perhaps he can also mold Menma into-"

"Menma is _dead_, Nagato," Kushina interrupted. "You know that. We all do."

"Menma is dead in _our_ world," Nagato corrected gently. "But he never existed in Naruto's world. Which means there is room for him. He can be the start of Naruto's family. But they would not be brothers."

"Why not?"

"Because Minato is dead there, and Naruto has seen him cruelly torn from death and resurrected once already. It would not be right to do so again. But Naruto doesn't know that Menma is dead here, so he could eventually accept Menma's return. Especially through the method I have in mind."

Kushina shook her head. "But you just said Minato is dead there, and so am I. So no Menma."

Nagato raised his voice, the confidence in it obvious to all in earshot. "There can be a new Menma. But while you two would not be his parents, there is a perfectly preserved source of your combined genetic material."

It suddenly dawned on Kushina, what Nagato intended to do. She was truly shocked, even disgusted, at first. But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. And slowly, a smile began to spread across her face. "Naruto would finally have a family. And Menma would get another chance."

"Yes," Nagato agreed. "And you know your son, both of them, better than anyone, Kushina-san. I dare not attempt this without your guidance. Will you help us?"

* * *

It was not instinct that urged the tiny, masked foxes onward. They moved with far too much human intelligence and purpose for it to have been merely that.

There were nine of them, at one point. There were eight left, and while the absence was noted and on some level even missed, it did not slow them down. Rather, it added a sense of increasing urgency to what was already an urgent task.

They could sense the moods of humans within a certain range. But only humans that had any significant contact with their fallen master.

Their task was to find the one human who loved their master most, but was not of his blood. She was easy to find: she wore an old jacket that still carried their master's scent, and she had begun to take long, unscheduled walks outside of the village. Just as their master had done, in fact. She even took the exact same routes, which indicated that she either knew him far too well, or had been watching for even longer than he had first suspected. Either way, she kept his secrets, and for that, she would be honored.

For her part, Hinata did not react with alarm when the foxes slowly melted out of the shadows and approached her. There was no way she could know that they were his, not without first activating her Byakugan and confirming that they shared his chakra. But she did not do so. And somehow she still knew.

"They say he's dead," she murmured, lowering her head. "They say Menma-kun is dead. Even when I saw the body, I refused to believe it."

The foxes glanced at each other, and with considerable effort, one assumed human shape. "He is dead," the former fox said slowly, unaccustomed to human speech. "But we can still hear his commands."

"What does he need?" Hinata asked quickly. "What can I do?"

The man wisely did not answer that question directly. "Are you prepared to die for him?"

Hinata smiled softly. "Without him, I am already dead."

He shook his head. It had to be voluntary. That part was important, somehow. "Are you prepared? Are you willing?"

"Of course I am." She closed her eyes and began to shed her clothes. "Take whatever you need."

There was a bit of unease among them, not for the sake or her modesty, but at the sheer willingness. They had expected her to agree, but counted on at least some hesitation. Their master had truly chosen well.

The man moved forward, his elongated teeth already protruding past his lips. "It will not be quick," he warned.

Hinata smiled as the agony erupted in her shoulder. "Nothing worthwhile ever is," she whispered as the others formed a tight circle around her.

* * *

Sixteen year-old Uzumaki Naruto woke from a dream, only to find a familiar man standing over his bed. Oddly enough, the dream had been about fighting the very same man, and yet Naruto reacted to his presence with very little alarm. Part of this had to do with the fact that the man wore a simple black traveling cloak, with no red clouds anywhere in sight.

"...Nagato?" Naruto asked slowly.

The red-haired man nodded. "Hello, Naruto-kun. I apologize for disturbing you."

Naruto blinked and slowly sat up, uncertain if Nagato meant waking him up, or the dream itself, which had not been so much disturbing as it was repetitive. Living through it once had been enough. "Uh, that's okay. But why are you here? Aren't you sort of... well... dead? I mean, I've seen the real you die twice, now."

"Perhaps," Nagato suggested hesitantly, "you are still dreaming."

Naruto hadn't considered that. "Huh? Well, maybe. It would explain how you're here, and... not dead."

"I have come to you with a warning, Naruto-kun. You have already lost the love of your life once, by my hand. Do not allow her to slip away again."

This brought any further thought about Nagato being a dream to a screeching halt. Certainly, many people Naruto knew had died when Nagato attacked Konoha. But to Naruto's knowledge, Nagato had also revived each and every one of them later on. Even limiting that number to females was hardly narrowing down the list. There was just one problem: Naruto had actually seen the list, and talked to people who had been there. And as far as anyone knew, Haruno Sakura had not died at any point on that day. Which was something of a problem, since Naruto had been in love with her, and only her, since he was a kid. So either Sakura _had_ been dead at some point, or Nagato was talking about some other girl. Naruto wasn't sure which idea was worse: that he'd failed to protect Sakura, who he'd thought to be his one true love, or that he hadn't, but that his one true love had died while he was fixated on Sakura, who was, in Nagato's eyes, apparently a complete waste of Naruto's affections.

Still, Naruto was not about to consider Nagato an expert on love. People who knew love didn't roam around keeping dead bodies for company. Naruto had never really seen Nagato pay much attention to the one woman who did seem to care about him. And if that was why Konan's smiles had been so rare, Naruto for one wouldn't have blamed her at all. He knew how much it hurt, when the one you loved only noticed when it was convenient for them to.

On the other hand, Naruto did not instantly believe that Nagato's warning was entirely meaningless. If it had been Jiraiya that appeared to him instead, Naruto would not have brushed him off as a mere product of a dream. And even if Nagato was wrong, Naruto had to admit that he had never really discussed that day with Sakura. If she had died, and somehow recalled that, it was just the sort of thing a person like her wouldn't want to talk about, to anyone.

"Not that I don't appreciate the warning," Naruto said slowly, "but how would you even know who the love of my life is? You haven't actually known me all that long, and I'd almost rather take advice on love from Ero-sennin first."

Nagato's lips twitched into a slight smile, however briefly. "A fair question, to be sure. Are you familiar with the power of my Human Path?"

Naruto squinted thoughtfully. "That's the one that sucks out souls?"

"Yes. I used it repeatedly on various shinobi in the village, while I was searching for you. The love of your life was among those, although I did not know it at the time. I only realized her importance some time after you had altered my thinking for the better. She herself is unaware of her intended role, but I suspect that will not last much longer. I warn you so that you will not reject her thoughtlessly if she should approach you."

"Why would I reject a girl that loves me?" Naruto asked. "I've never even really been in a position to do that!"

"First impressions can be difficult to put aside. But I suggest that you attempt to do so, Naruto-kun. I would not have come to you if I did not wholly believe what I am saying. You were able to put aside your hatred of me. I ask that you suspend any initial judgment of her, until you have a firm grasp of the situation."

"Okay, I got it. Warning received. Just do me one favor." Naruto balled up his right hand into a fist, and then thrust it out expectantly.

Nagato stared at it curiously. "You wish to give me something?"

Naruto laughed. "No, it's something I picked up somewhere. We're sibling disciples like you said, and after all we've been through together, I feel like I know you. But since I've got you here, and I might not get another chance, I think we should fist bump. I sense there's something you're not telling me, and you're entitled to your privacy. But a good friend taught me that you can learn all you really need to know about someone by bumping fists with them. He also told me that any man that wouldn't do it, isn't a man worth knowing. And I know you're a man worth knowing, Nagato, so don't leave me hanging."

Something like fear seemed to pass over Nagato's face, and after several seconds of tense silence without either one moving, Naruto started to withdraw his extended fist with a frown. But then, in a lightning fast movement more worthy of combat, Nagato's fist shot out, froze, and then slowly touched Naruto's. The gesture lasted no more than five seconds, but both males drew back with a far deeper understanding of each other's motives. And at least on one end, that may not have been a good thing.

"I should go," Nagato said at last.

"But you can't, can you?" Naruto asked, frowning at him. "You can't actually leave. And you probably shouldn't, from what I saw."

"Does that mean," Nagato asked slowly, "that you want me to stay?"

"Doesn't seem to matter what I want just now. And I think I'm going to need you to stick around. Because as long as there's at least one other person who accepts this? I'll know I'm not completely crazy."

* * *

Elsewhere in Konoha, there was a similar conversation happening, though with far different results. Because that conversation actually _was_ taking place inside the head of a single person, and that person was seriously beginning to question her own sanity. And that was before the voice in her head told her what it expected of her.

Then, she _knew_ she was crazy. But also, that she desperately needed to talk to Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

**Continued in Chapter 3: When You're Expecting**

Naruto fails to ask Sakura for a date, which leads to a conversation she wasn't expecting. Then Naruto has a rather awkward conversation with someone close to him, who Nagato intends to become even closer.

* * *

Endnotes:

I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking the Genjutsu World ceased to exist, even as an illusion, seconds after Naruto's "return" to his world. So even if the GW Nagato could create an avatar that could survive on leftover chakra, the avatar would exist, but the false world would still not. Believe me, I understand that. But there is a method to my madness. Much of which relies on that whole "fake isn't really fake" speech I gave you earlier. So I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that I'm not ready to tell you yet.


	3. When You're Expecting

Notes: How convenient! A chapter before Mother's Day, dealing with a mother, and I didn't even plan for it to happen that way. In fact, this chapter is close to a week late, it took me that long to finally push it through the Doc Manager. Oh, and one tiny error I had to go back and correct. Kit, Menma's pet white tiger, is female. But perhaps now I've said too much.

* * *

**The Second Firstborn**

**A Naruto Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 3: When You're Expecting**

* * *

"You haven't asked me out in over a month."

Naruto blinked and looked up from the scroll spread out in front of him, only to find Sakura glaring at him suspiciously. Trying and failing to accurately gauge her mood, he finally shook his head and murmured cautiously, "Um... I'm sorry?"

She snorted and turned away, wandering back into his kitchen to grab a clean mug. "I didn't point it out because I wanted an apology!"

"Well... then why did you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, feeling more lost by the second.

"Because it's weird, that's why!" she snapped, whirling around to pin him with another accusatory glare. "The entire time we've known each other, the only months you haven't asked me out were when you were off training for three years! Until now!"

"So, just to be clear," Naruto said slowly, "you want me to ask you out?"

"No!" Sakura growled. "It's just really weird that you haven't yet!"

Naruto stared at her for a long moment. "So you don't actually _want_ me to ask you out, but the fact that I haven't recently bothers you."

"Yes!"

"Ah." Naruto waited a few seconds, and then: "Sakura-chan, want to-"

"No," Sakura interrupted, sounding strangely relieved. "Thanks," she added awkwardly.

"No problem." Naruto flashed her a grin, then went back to studying the scroll.

A few minutes later, it was tugged out of his hands. "Why didn't you ask me out earlier?" Sakura demanded. "I never had to remind you before."

Naruto laughed. "Me asking you out is that much a part of our routine, that you miss it when I don't?"

"Obviously, and don't avoid the question."

"When you invited yourself to my apartment for lunch, I didn't know an interrogation was what you actually had in mind."

"And that's another thing!" Sakura complained. "You never miss an opportunity to call any non-mission time that we spend together a date. Yet you didn't even call this a lunch date, and _I_ even had to set it up! Something's wrong, and I want to know what! Right now, Naruto!"

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Have you ever thought about what your life will be like in ten, twenty years?"

She frowned at him. "Of course I have. What does that have to do with this?"

"Are you married? If so, am I your husband?"

Her frown deepened. "Naruto, that's not-"

"So I'm not, then," he concluded.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And because I don't imagine us married in twenty years, you aren't going to ask me out anymore?"

"No. I'm not going to ask you out anymore because I don't see us together, at all, even in five years. So I don't see a point in wasting your time and mine by asking for dates that won't lead anywhere. And like you said, it's not that you want me to keep asking, you're just used to it. Maybe it's time we got you used to me not asking."

Sakura stared at him as if she'd never seen him before. "So you no longer have any romantic interest in me at all?"

"Didn't say that," Naruto replied. "But it doesn't matter if I do. Neither of us sees a future in us dating. That does matter."

"Why, exactly, do you no longer see a future with us together? You've been asking me out for years!"

"And you've been saying no for nearly as long. But even if you said yes, I know what would happen. We'd go out, I'd treat you nice, and sparks wouldn't fly. If they were going to, we'd be together by now. And who knows, while we're doing that, I could miss out on my one true love." He paused and frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe I've already missed her."

"And... you're so sure that I'm not her anymore?" Sakura asked softly.

Naruto shrugged. "When I was a kid, I could only see myself with you. But I don't anymore. Maybe I grew out of it. Can you honestly tell me that you don't want me to give up on you and find someone else? So that you can find someone else? Someone better than me?"

"I... well, I can't deny all the attention was nice," Sakura murmured. "Any girl would appreciate that, as long as it wasn't from a crazy stalker. But you're right, I don't see much point in going out with someone that isn't interested in a future with me in it."

"Don't sound so sad, Sakura-chan. You're really pretty and really smart. Odds are you'll find someone long before I do. And maybe my luck with love will improve, now that I'm considering all of my options." He grinned at her. "We'll both do fine, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Sakura whispered, so faintly that he barely heard her. "I'm sure you're right." Naruto had already retrieved his scroll, so he didn't notice her very worried expression.

* * *

Naruto had not thought it strange that Shizune wanted to speak in his apartment. She regularly visited to keep it clean while he was away on missions, and she was the main reason he always had fresh fruits and vegetables in stock whenever he came home. In fact, she was the second person Naruto had given a spare key to (Iruka had been the first), though at the time he had only figured she would let herself in and wake him up if he ever overslept.

What Naruto did find strange was how nervous Shizune seemed. He could not recall ever having seen her that way before, outside of a truly major crisis. And that was saying something, because he had seen her leading more than a few life-saving surgeries with no apparent difficulty or anxiety involved. If something was bothering her to this degree, it had to be huge.

"This is going to sound very strange," Shizune warned him as she paced back and forth in front of the couch. "But every word is true, I swear it."

Naruto shrugged, unconcerned. "I know you wouldn't lie to me."

She flashed him a quick, grateful smile, but it was gone far too soon. "I've been hearing a voice in my head. I thought, even prayed that I was just going crazy. And I might be. But you're the only one who can verify what it says."

"I'm not really an expert on who's crazy," Naruto pointed out slowly. "At least, I don't think I am..."

Shizune shook her head. "You don't understand, Naruto-kun. This voice... it knows things. About Tsunade-sama. Things almost no one could have known about her. Things I only knew because I've been with her for so long."

"That doesn't sound so bad, so far," Naruto said, giving her a hesitant grin. "As long as it's not telling you to jump off a cliff or anything, right?" He didn't care for the way the blood drained out of her face. "It's not, is it?" he pressed.

"No," Shizune whispered. "But it did tell me I would do... something." She swallowed hard. "Naruto-kun, it keeps telling me something very strange. It says... I will have a son."

Naruto stared at her. "You're pregnant, Shizune nee-chan? That's great! Congratulations!" He jumped up and reached out to hug her, but she stopped him.

"I'm _not_ pregnant," Shizune said firmly. "That much, I'm sure of. I checked, even though I knew I didn't have to. I haven't been with a man since... well, I can't remember the last time I had enough free time to even consider being with a man. It's actually been that long."

Naruto was fairly impressed that she managed to admit it with only a slight flush in her cheeks. "Then it doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about," he concluded. "Maybe the voice is wrong?"

"I was hoping you could confirm that for me," she sighed. "It didn't mention who the father would be. But it said you would know. And I guess it makes sense that you would."

"Why's that?" Naruto asked with a puzzled frown.

"Because the voice said my son's name would be Menma. I can't imagine there are too many people with that name. Or that would name their child after a ramen ingredient at all." Shizune sighed when she noticed the way Naruto had gone pale. "I thought you'd react that way."

"You're sure it said Menma?" Naruto asked softly.

"Yes."

Naruto laughed weakly. "So I guess we have some pretty awkward things to talk about, then."

"Such as?" Shizune asked warily.

"Well, I can only think of two ways that Menma would be born into this world. And the one that doesn't involve reanimating a corpse, does involve me being the father."

Shizune suddenly found a spot on the far wall to be extremely interesting. "But I still don't understand. Even if I had a son, why would I ever name him Menma?"

"_You_ wouldn't," Naruto sighed. "But I would. I already decided that a while back. I saw what he became, and I promised myself that there would be a Menma who didn't turn out like that. So I decided that I would name my first son Menma, and I'd make sure that he didn't turn out the way the first Menma did."

"But that still doesn't explain how we-" Shizune began.

"Let's not forget that this is all according to this unknown voice, Shizune nee-chan. If I thought, even for a second, that you wouldn't have a choice in this, I'd find a way to prevent it. But I know that Menma was born out of love. I experienced it firsthand. So I'm not worried about that. But I promise that I won't ever force you to do anything about this."

Shizune stared at his surprisingly steady expression for a long moment. "Naruto-kun, you don't seem... bothered by this. I mean, you do, but... I expected you to react differently. I've watched you chase after Sakura, and we've just figured out that you might father my child. But you don't seem disgusted, or upset, or-"

"Why would I be disgusted?" Naruto asked sharply, frowning at her.

Shizune blushed. "Naruto-kun, do you have any idea how old I am? Compared to you, I mean?"

He blinked. "Not exactly. I know you're not Tsunade baa-chan's age, and you're definitely not using genjutsu to look as young as you do. From what I can see, you're still a babe, so what-"

"Did you just call me a _babe_?" Shizune demanded, her face turning a bright red.

"Uh, yes?" Naruto stared at her in obvious confusion. "I don't really know a polite way to say that you're hot, Shizune nee-chan. Sorry."

"I... Naruto-kun, you mean you find me attractive?" she gasped, equal parts shocked and pleased.

Naruto blushed and scratched the whisker marks on his right cheek nervously. "Yeah, didn't we just confirm that, though? How many different ways do you need me to say it?"

"So you don't mind the thought of fathering my child?" Shizune croaked unsteadily.

He shrugged. "As long as you're okay with it, why would I have any complaints? It's not like we don't care about each other. I mean, okay, it's a lot different from how we have been caring, but-"

"What about Sakura?" Shizune interrupted.

Naruto frowned. "Well, to be honest, the Menma I knew had a pretty bad temper, and I think he got some of that from my, I mean, his mother. I can't imagine Sakura-chan being his mother would improve that any. You, though... I can't imagine any kid of yours could stay mad for too long. That'll be important for our Menma."

"Naruto-kun, I _really_ wish you wouldn't talk like we've agreed to do this," Shizune murmured.

"Oh. Sorry, Shizune nee-chan." He hesitated, then added, "But I've told you. There's a Menma in my future, no matter who his mother ends up being. So it's hard for me to look at it as never happening, the way you do. For me, it's written in stone. And like I said, I'd never force you, so I don't think you have anything to worry about. This voice in your head can't make you do things, can it?"

"It hasn't so far, but I have no way to be sure. Can you think of anyone who might both know about Menma and be able to do this?"

Naruto shook his head. "Everyone else who knew about him was unique to that world. So everyone I can think of in this world that could talk inside your head wouldn't know about him. I can understand why you wouldn't want to tell baa-chan about this voice in your head, but maybe you should. Even if she can't do anything about it, maybe she's seen something like this before." He paused uncertainly, then nodded to himself. "And if you need my help with anything at all, just let me know. Don't just assume I won't help because of Sakura-chan."

Shizune stared at him with a sinking feeling. "But that would prevent you, wouldn't it?"

"No. I've given it a lot of thought. If Sakura-chan can't understand why this is important to me, she's not the one for me. I'll keep looking until I find a woman who does understand. It's that important to me."

Shizune could hardly believe her ears, but her eyes told her that Naruto was very serious about this. She had long suspected that starting a family one day would be important to him, but she had never guessed that he had given it so much thought. The next thing she knew, Naruto had gently drawn her into his arms.

"Don't worry about anything, Shizune nee-chan," Naruto said softly. "Whatever happens, we'll figure this out."

Shizune wasn't sure that she really believed him, but she could detect no doubt in his voice, and somehow that made her feel better. So instead of telling him that he was wrong or couldn't possibly know, she let her head fall against his shoulder, and dared to believe in him once more.

* * *

Later that night, Naruto stared out of the window of his bedroom, thinking. He hadn't been completely truthful with Shizune, though he didn't regret it. The moment she had described the voice in her head, there had really only been one suspect in his mind: Nagato. It seemed impossible, but Naruto had seen and lived impossible more than once. He wasn't willing to rule anything out without verification first.

And if he was right, Menma being born could easily end up being the least of his concerns.

Naruto sat down on his bed and slowed his breathing, preparing to enter to Sage Mode so that he could track down Nagato's chakra. Before he could, however, the small of his back began to itch wildly. Growling in frustration, Naruto tore off his pajama top, only to blink as a small piece of paper fluttered out and landed in his lap. For a horrifying moment, Naruto thought it might be an explosive tag. Then he saw it was a simple, childish paper cut-out of a man. Figuring one of the village children playing ninja had tagged him, Naruto picked up the cut-out and began to put it aside. Seconds after his fingers touched it, a familiar voice spoke in his head.

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto froze, his suspicion confirmed. "Nagato."

"You don't sound surprised. Good."

"So this is your avatar?" Naruto murmured, turning the paper man over in his hands. There was no visible indicator that it was anything other than a simple piece of paper: no seal or writing at all, a true testament to the skill of the creator. "I guess Konan helped you with this?"

"Correct," Nagato confirmed. "But we have more important things to discuss."

"Like Shizune?" Naruto demanded.

"Yes. You can actually thank the Nagato of this world. When he manipulated her soul, a portion of his chakra was embedded in her body. I merely had to access it in order to communicate with her. To be honest, it is not all that different from-"

"Your chakra recievers," Naruto whispered in horror. "Nagato, swear to me that you're not forcing this on her! Swear to me that you're not controlling her like some half-dead puppet!"

There was a long, tense silence. "I realize this situation is upsetting, Naruto-kun," Nagato said slowly, his voice trembling with emotion. "But I will have you know that I treated each of my forms with the greatest respect, so for you to refer to them as 'puppets' is quite insulting. I remind you that Yahiko was one of them, and he was certainly no mere puppet to me."

"Yeah? Well, Shizune isn't one to me, and you didn't answer my question!"

"I am not controlling her in the way you seem to think I am, merely communicating with her. She has free will, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying to convince her. To my knowledge, I cannot physically compel her to do anything."

"Would you tell me if that changed?" Naruto asked.

"Would there be any point?" Nagato countered. "It would only make you less likely to cooperate."

Naruto didn't like that answer, but decided to move on. "Why not tell her who you are?"

"The Nagato of this world tore out her soul and killed her. I did not imagine she would be receptive to another. If she were to do something drastic, I might not be able to restore her again, given my limited form. Perhaps I could have chosen another woman, but your Shizune was both already close to you, and easily accessed."

"Isn't there some way I can just tell her? She thinks she's going crazy. If I didn't have a fox demon sealed in me, I'd think the same thing about an unknown voice in my head. And how does she not know your voice, anyway?"

"He is not the one speaking to her, Naruto-kun," said a new voice.

"Konan," Naruto sighed, recognizing her voice at once. "Figures. But I guess a crazy voice is better coming from another woman. I think."

"I am not sure if I should resent that," Konan murmured. "But I do think we can all agree that under normal circumstances, it would never occur to Shizune to consider you a potential husband. Given that, some persuasion must be allowed. Forgive me for saying so, Naruto-kun, but if you limit your search to Konoha, you will not find many willing candidates for a wife. Shizune is one of the few women who accepts you entirely as you are, special status and all, and loves you despite that. There will not be many more like her. Possibly no more at all. So we are investing quite a lot into your success this time."

"All I'm hearing is that she'd never choose me on her own," Naruto pointed out.

"One could say the same about your Sakura, and yet you invested years into changing her mind. And from what I have seen, your efforts were not entirely fruitless. But Sakura fought Menma, and suffered at his hands. Do you really believe she would ever help you bring him into this world?"

"No. But that's even more reason not to lie to Shizune about this, since Nagato killed her! If she ever found out the truth, she'd never forgive me!"

"To do so would lessen Menma's already low chance of being born here. Are you sure you want to do that?" Konan asked.

"No, but I have to," Naruto muttered. "I can't lie to her anymore. Not if she's really the one for me."

"Then do what you must," Nagato decided. "But know that we did not merely pick Shizune because she was convenient. She possesses certain qualities that make her ideal for you."

"Like what?"

"Her ability to endure and adapt. That will be vital for any woman who becomes your wife. Also, she will be rational where others would not. She knows, for example, your mother's history. That means she can separate fact from fiction in terms of what Kurama is capable of, and she will fear his power no more than is necessary or wise. That is not something more than a select few women can claim."

"I get that you guys want this bad, believe me," Naruto stated. "I want it, too. But you're forgetting that Menma had two of the best parents ever, and he still went bad. Even if Shizune were perfect for me, there's always a chance we'll fail, too. If we want this to work, Shizune needs to know everything. What do you think is going to happen if she finds out I kept this from her after we're married? More importantly, what do you think it's going to do to Menma if his parents split up? There can't be any secrets this big between us."

There was no response from the paper cut-out for several moments. Naruto started to think that maybe they were low on chakra.

"You are correct, Naruto-kun," Konan said at last. "We would prefer your relationship to be based on truth, rather than secrets. But to tell her risks everything. And with each rejection you suffer, Menma's chances of even being born grow slimmer."

"I know. But I think you're really underestimating her. She won't like it, but eventually, I think she'll understand."

* * *

Shizune hadn't known what to expect when Naruto invited her back to his apartment for a talk. She had not really come to any decision about what to do, other than to keep quiet, and to a lesser extent, keep her distance from Naruto. It was not that she didn't trust him, far from it. But she had to admit that his words had a powerful impact on her, and if she hadn't viewed him as a little brother for most of their relationship, she might have been greatly tempted to consider the proposal (and that was a really bad term to toss around right now, she kept reminding herself).

So when Naruto sat her down and told her that the voice in her head was a former Akatsuki member, Shizune was stunned, although not for the expected reason.

The voice in Shizune's head had been both very detailed and very convincing as to its identity. And contrary to what she'd told Naruto, it was far from unknown to her. In fact, it had been very familiar. But Shizune had known at once that telling Naruto the truth was a very bad idea.

Because if Naruto already thought there was a good chance he was going to have a baby Menma with her, the last thing Shizune wanted to tell him was that the original Menma's mother was the voice in her head, eagerly cheering them on and suggesting certain lovemaking positions that had certainly proved effective where Menma was concerned (and conceived). And as if that wasn't bad enough, Shizune could think of no way to explain to Naruto that this Kushina was actually a current Akatsuki member, though within the world where that was applicable, they were merely a band of S-ranked mercenaries, and not a group of terrorists seeking world domination.

So Shizune remained silent as Naruto, still under the impression that some woman named Konan was the voice in Shizune's head, told her what little he knew about Konan, trying to give the impression that she had ultimately been a deeply loyal though misguided person. Thankfully, at the time, there was no commentary from Kushina. Shizune suspected that Kushina was just enjoying the sound of her "other" son's voice, judging by the odd sense of maternal warmth she kept catching hints of. Though it was very strange, in the sense that Shizune was trying to actively resist becoming a mother, at least to this Kushina's original son, and Naruto wasn't helping at all by being understanding and soothing like he was. Staying away from him was seeming more and more like a good idea, if only she could manage it without hurting his feelings. And thankfully, there was a way to do just that.

Once Shizune reassured Naruto that she was not too worried about the voice in her head, she made him aware of the long-term mission that Tsunade had been preparing for a while now. Suna had been repeatedly impressed by the superior quality of Konoha's medic-nin, and Tsunade had agreed to send one to give Suna's medical program a serious upgrade. Naturally, she would only entrust such an important task to one of her apprentices, and while Sakura had more personal experience with Suna, Shizune simply had more experience overall and was the obvious choice. Shizune had agreed to this even before she had found out about this Menma mess, but now she was very glad that she had done so. It was the perfect chance to get away from Naruto, and even better, a legitimate reason that he would have to accept, and he did. Although the parting hug and the heartfelt plea for her to be careful were pretty unsettling, in that both reminded Shizune that she could easily fall for someone like Naruto if he were a little older.

In any case, that was one problem solved, if only temporarily. Or so she thought.

* * *

"I can't spare a jōnin to escort you to Suna, Shizune," Tsunade announced with a scowl as she sorted through piles of paperwork on her desk. "I've been over it three times, but they're all tied up in some form or fashion. I'm not about to send you alone, but I've been putting this off too long as it is. Temari said that Gaara is officially irked by how long this has been in the works. This needs to get done right now. What we need is someone with jōnin-level strength who isn't actually one yet. Get me a list of candidates for the next Jōnin Exams, maybe I can free up one of them for the next six months or so."

Shizune stood there for a long moment, a sinking feeling in her heart. "Actually, that may not be necessary, Tsunade-sama. I can think of one person who fits the description, and would be more than happy to escort me anywhere I needed to go."

Tsunade blinked, then grinned. "Heh. You''re right. I must have a hangover, can't believe I didn't think of him first. Fine, get the gaki in here right away. Oh, and tell him if he does well on this mission, I might be able to fast track his next promotion."

With a weak smile, Shizune responded, "I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

Twenty minutes later, Naruto was standing in the same office, only he didn't react quite as either woman had expected him to. Upon being told about the mission, Naruto simply stared straight ahead for a long moment, saying nothing. Then he looked Tsunade in the eye and said confidently, "Don't worry about a thing, baa-chan. Shizune nee-chan will be perfectly safe with me."

Tsunade chuckled. "I like your enthusiasm, but honestly, I'm not expecting much trouble with this one. You'll basically be Shizune's bodyguard the whole time, and she'll be working closely with the Kazekage. I can't imagine she'd be in too much danger with you two powerhouses looking over her shoulder. In fact, Gaara has insisted on you two living with him while you're there. I assume he wants to personally ensure that you get the best possible accommodations. And if my hunch is right, he wants you there for his wedding."

Naruto gaped at her. "Gaara's getting married?!" he shouted in shock.

"It seems very likely. He tells me that his council is heavily hinting that his bloodline should be preserved, and neither Temari nor Kankuro seems to be in a hurry to do so. And yes, I know Gaara's a longshot himself, but unlike them, he actually does have someone interested in helping out already-"

"Who?" Naruto demanded. "And why didn't I know about this?"

"You remember his student Matsuri, you've met her twice now. She and Gaara have been dating since-"

"Gaara... _dates_?" Naruto interrupted again. "That's really hard to imagine..."

Tsunade laughed. "Well, from what I understand, Matsuri asked _him_ out first. So no, Gaara doesn't date. He gets asked out repeatedly, finally said yes to someone, and they apparently make a stable enough couple that his council wants them married and reproducing as soon as possible. They're even willing to overlook how inexperienced Matsuri is compared to Gaara, although I don't think she needed much convincing to marry him. Anyway, in case I'm not able to make it there myself, you two will be my representatives. Either way, no goofing off at the Kazekage's wedding, gaki! This will be good practice for when you're Hokage, after all. And just so we're clear, Gaara is the only Kage I trust would forgive you instantly if you did screw up, but you should still do your best to avoid making a scene, since there will be foreign dignitaries there."

Naruto scowled at her. "Come on, baa-chan! What exactly do you think I'm going to do, get drunk and throw eggs at Chiyo baa-chan's grave?"

"No, but if you overheard someone muttering under their breath about Matsuri being a sacrifice to a demon, you'd beat them silly, wouldn't you?"

"That's-!"

"Exactly what could happen," Tsunade interrupted, glaring at him. "Hatred typically takes a long time to die. I know Gaara is your friend, and you want to defend him. That's fine. But as his friend, you also need to be aware and respectful of his status as Kazekage. I feel pretty sure he didn't gain it by threatening to maim anyone who spoke against him, even though he probably could have. If Gaara can control himself after all that he's been through, I expect and demand no less from you. Don't let me down, Naruto. I'm counting on you."

Naruto took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I can do this, baa-chan."

"I know you can. I wouldn't be sending you if I thought otherwise. And if you get tempted, just remember that you're with Shizune and she'll be watching you. I trust you wouldn't do anything in front of her that might negatively impact her opinion of you."

Shizune smiled uneasily as Naruto glanced at her, certain that Tsunade had no idea what kind of impact her words would have on him. It was true that Naruto frequently had some past behavior problems in terms of being formal, but for the most part, he had always behaved like a hyperactive and scruffy gentleman around her, and he had been even more well-behaved since becoming convinced that Shizune might be the future mother of his child. Whether he was just trying to impress her or actually maturing before her eyes, Shizune wasn't entirely sure. Naruto's ability to adapt to almost any situation never failed to amaze her, and if he actually could somehow transform himself from an impulsive little brother figure into a man Shizune could see herself marrying, she feared that Menma's birth was pretty much a sure thing. Naruto's habit of convincing people to believe in him had certainly worked bigger miracles, and it wasn't that Shizune absolutely refused to be with him, so much as it was that she felt that he would eventually find someone far better suited to him, and more importantly, closer to his own age.

* * *

Once a week, Uzumaki Menma had the same dream.

He was standing on a single point of light, surrounded entirely by darkness.

It was not cold, or suffocating, or in any way distressing. In fact, for him the silence and stillness was actually peaceful.

But it was certainty that the darkness had consumed everything else that bothered him. He would never see anything in it or beyond it, and he would never meet another person. Only he could exist in and thrive on the darkness. He would always be alone.

Sometimes he cried, if only because the tears gave him something else to focus on.

It always seemed as if he would be alone forever.

But then, something furry, warm, and soft would brush against his hand. And though Menma could not see beyond the point of light that he occupied, he could easily imagine the tiny, soot-black fox kit as it circled him, occasionally brushing one of its tails against his arms, or sniffing at his hands. It could not see him, just as he could not see it. But they sensed each other all the same, were drawn to each other as fellow inhabitants of the darkness. Surely it understood the pain of his loneliness.

In time, through some unknown method, the two became one. And Menma was no longer lonely, for he could always feel the fox's presence within him, and the knowledge brought him some comfort. But with that knowledge came hatred: of the world beyond the darkness, where other people lived in light, without worry or fear of the darkness. Menma knew that the fox was not the source of the hatred, because it was a shared emotion: they both hated the light and wanted nothing more than to destroy it. But despite their joined power, it was not enough. They needed help that simply would not come. No one would willingly walk into the darkness for any reason.

But someone did. Menma could not see them, but he could sense the person. If they spoke, his ears could not receive the sound of their voice, and for some reason they either would not or could not enter his light. But what mattered was that they stayed with him, just as the fox had, and their presence also brought Menma comfort.

* * *

Menma slowly opened his eyes in his bed and frowned. "That dream again..."

"Can you finally remember the details?" Kit asked from her spot beside him, flicking her tail against his arm.

Menma blinked and stared at the white tiger for a long moment. "No," he lied, for no reason that he could explain. He trusted Kit far more than he did most people, and yet somehow the dream felt like something he should keep secret, even from her.

Especially from her, in fact, if the dream meant what he thought it did.

Kit made a sound that was half purr and half growl. "Then go back to sleep, Menma. You have to meet with your new team in the morning, remember?"

"Yeah," he agreed automatically. His hand reached out and was stroking her head before he could even attempt to stop himself. The simple motion soothed him in a way that made no real sense to him, and Menma was asleep within a minute.

Kit watched him for a while, then shifted closer and laid her head against his chest, reassured by the steady sound of his heartbeat. "I will always find you in the darkness, Menma-kun," she promised. "I will always be at your side."

* * *

**Continued in Chapter 4: Shifting Sands**

The mission to Suna stirs up some awkward feelings on both sides. Naruto's bond with Matsuri reveals a side of him that Shizune has never seen before, and finds increasingly difficult to ignore.

* * *

**Endnotes:**

If I recall right, in the movie Menma's last name was never actually given. Since his parents survived and were publicly known (and neither was Hokage), there was no reason to hide his connection to them. So I would tentatively suggest that Menma's name was Namikaze, unless either his parents didn't get married, or Minato formally joined the Uzumaki clan and went so far as to take Kushina's name (unlikely, but it does happen). Which he might have had reason to do, if he had no clan of his own. Why does any of this matter? Purposes of distinction, I guess.

I don't expect that the identity of my Menma's mother was too much of a shocker, there were clues. If it seems unlikely, well, that was the whole point. No matter how you feel about it, I'd love to hear from you. And not just because this story is greatly underperforming in the review category, though I admit that's a big part of it.


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